The invention concerns travelling feed dispensers used to dispense feed, typically feed for poultry, into the feed trough of each cage of a long row of cages in multi-tiered arrangements in which several such long rows of cages are arranged one atop the other to form a multi-tier long row of cages.
Usually, such travelling feed dispensers include a feed container, some type of lift conveyor for lifting feed up from the bottom region of the container up to the different heights of the different tiers or cage-rows, with the lift conveyor having outlet openings, each associated with the level of one of the tiers; and additionally, outflow chutes arranged at different heights in correspondence to the different heights of the different tiers, each outflow chute having an upper end which receives feed from a respective outlet opening of the lift conveyor, the outflow chute extending at a downwards incline from its upper or feed-receiving end towards its bottom or feed-discharging end, at which it is provided with a discharge opening from which feed is discharged into a respective one of several feed troughs--the several feed troughs being arranged at different height levels, in correspondence to the different height levels of the different tiers or cage-rows, with each such feed trough extending along the length of the respective row of cages contained in the respective tier.
A travelling feed dispenser of the general type outlined above is disclosed in Federal Republic of Germany Gebrauchsmuster 74 13 448. The travelling feed dispenser is designed for use with a doubled arrangement of tierwise-arranged cage-rows, namely one in which each tier consists of a long row of pairs of cages, each pair of cages consisting of first and second cages which adjoin each other back-to-back, indeed sharing a common back in certain cases, the cages here likewise usually being provided for poultry. Each long tier of cage-pairs is provided with first and second feed troughs, both extending horizontally along the length of the respective tier; the first feed trough extends horizontally along the front sides of the first cages of the cage-pair row that forms the respective tier, whereas the second feed trough extends horizontally along the front sides of the second cages of the cage-pair row that forms that tier. The travelling feed dispenser embraces this doubled arrangement of tierwise-arranged cage-pair rows from above. In particular, the feed dispenser has first and second side units which are joined together above the level of the highest one of the several tiers. The first side unit of the travelling feed dispenser is located to travel along the front sides of the first cages of the tierwise-arranged cage-pair rows, whereas the second side unit of the travelling feed dispenser is located to travel along the front sides of the second cages of the tierwise-arranged cage-pair rows. The first and second side units of such doubled travelling feed dispenser each include a respective feed container provided with a respective lift conveyor, the lift conveyor having at different heights outlet openings to which are connected the various outflow chutes for the various tiers, namely substantially as described earlier, and the feed dispenser can travel as a whole along the length of the multi-tier arrangement of cage-pair rows, riding on a track formed by two guide rails. Thus, when the doubled feed dispenser makes one trip, namely from one to the other end of the multi-tier arrangement of cage-pair rows, feed is supplied into both the first and second feed trough of each tier, along the entire length of each such trough.
The above-described travelling feed dispenser thus performs a direct discharge of feed into each longitudinally successive portion of each feed trough. Such is a marked improvement over the method of filling the feed troughs by, simply, transporting or advancing feed longitudinally inside the long feed trough. Namely, with such simpler methods, if the feed is a mix of distinct ingredients, for example a mix of different types of seeds or a mix of seeds and bulk or filler material, the ingredient preferred by the occupants of the cages will be preferentially picked at and removed, so that the percentage content of that particular ingredient will be found to be lower and lower in the feed arriving at cages that are located more and more downstream. Also, with such simpler method, the use of a feed-transport chain, or the like, to advance feed longitudinally inside the long feed trough can be disadvantageous for another reason also. Namely, although feed of the proper recipe is supplied at the upstream end of such feed-transport chain, or the like, feed residues can, after a certain period of time, build up and remain in the trough and, being likewise typically made up of the feed ingredients least preferred by the cage occupants, the result can be a general degradation in the quality of the feed available at all locations along the feed trough.
Although the travelling feed dispenser of the above German Gebrauchsmuster 74 13 448 does, as just explained, avoid such disadvantages, it exhibits certain disadvantages of its own. Chiefly, as the dispenser travels along the length of the feed trough, directly delivering feed to each successive location along the trough, it can nevertheless happen that the amount of feed delivered to each location on the trough is different at different locations, i.e., at different cages along the trough; in the worst case, it can even happen that gaps of lesser or greater length appear in the lengthwise-extending carpet of feed being formed along the length of the trough. Such variations or even the formation of gaps can result, in particular, when the feed, as it slides down the inclined outflow chute that discharges into the feed trough, exhibits even briefly any tendency to cohere and not fall freely out of the bottom, open end of the outflow chute, thus becoming in a sense jammed or clogged until subsequently arriving feed, entering the top end of the inclined outflow chute from one of the outflow openings of the lift conveyor, causes the cohering mass of feed to finally drop out, somewhat bunched-together, from the discharge end of the outflow chute. In the travelling dispenser of the above German Gebrauchsmuster this danger is counteracted by suspending, inside each outflow chute, a coarse mesh or framework made of wire extending down to near the open bottom end of the inclined outflow chute. This wire framework is made to reciprocate, generally vertically, inside the outflow chute by means of a reciprocating-motion mechanism that comprises an eccentric, a two-armed lever mounted such that it in part extends into the outflow chute and in part extends out therefrom, and a linkage rod which engages the two-armed lever. This vibratory or shaking-action mechanism does in fact counteract any tendency of the feed present in the outflow chute to cohere and not flow out freely, so that a very continuous and uniform discharge of feed is indeed assured. This is achieved, however, by means of added manufacturing cost and operating complexity. In particular, it can be very difficult to gain access to those components of the vibratory or shaking-action mechanism that are located actually internal to the outflow chute or in awkwardly accessible locations near the latter. Furthermore, the incessant shaking or vibratory action produces various mechanical stresses upon the apparatus, leading to increased rates of wear on certain components thereof, decreased rigidity of assembled structural components, and the like. Finally, although the vibratory or shaking-action mechanism does achieve a very uniform and continuous feed outflow, the mere presence of such a mechanism interiorly of the outflow chute constitutes, in itself, and in a more general sense, an obstacle to the flow of feed through the outflow chute, which may need to be counteracted by some means, whether dimensional or operational.